What We’re Cooking This Week: Rhubarb Compote

Linguistic hair splitters may moan that rhubarb isn’t a fruit since it doesn’t contain seeds, but let’s leave that argument to the botanists.

Rhubarb compote (Jim Dixon)
By Jim Dixon

Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.

I really call this stewed rhubarb, but compote, borrowed from the French and literally translated as “stewed fruit,” sounds like it’ll taste better. Linguistic hair splitters may moan that rhubarb isn’t a fruit since it doesn’t contain seeds, but let’s leave that argument to the botanists. All that really matters is that rhubarb tastes good.

Stewing rhubarb brings you that flavor with just a couple of ingredients and minimal effort. I eat the crimson compote straight, but it’s great with yogurt, pancakes, ice cream, olive oil cake, or anything else that needs a bit of sweet-tart tang alongside.

The recipe makes about 2 cups but is endlessly scalable. It’s not very sweet, but you can always add more sugar (or any other sweetener).

Recipe

1 pound rhubarb stalks, sliced into ¾-inch pieces

Juice from 1 lemon

¼ cup sugar

Combine the rhubarb, lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes or until rhubarb chunks break down to an applesaucelike consistency. Eat warm or cold.

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